Hinge



Dec. 19, 1944. H ON 2,365,378

HINGE Filed March 4, 1944' INVEN TOR. 577252 56/750 BY {Z3 A maven Patented Dec. 19, 1944 UNITED STATES PATENTOFFICE HINGE Ernest H. Benson, Kansas City, Mo.

Application March 4, 1944, Serial No. 524,988

-the reverse side of the door, part of the hinge 3 Claims.

My invention relates broadly to new and useful improvements in hinges and more particularly to a hinge structure that can ,be used on either horizontally or vertically swinging doors or panels.

It is frequently desirable to remove a door during warm weather or when moving furniture through a doorway, and it is sometimes imperative that it be removed quickly in case of a fire or other emergency. If the door is to be removed for a considerable length of time it is further desirable that the portion of the hinge attached to the door jamb present a neat appearance and that there be no projecting parts upon which a. person passing through the doorway can scratch himself or snag his clothing.

Conventional hinge structures are generally unsatisfactory. The hinge cannot be readily disassembled, and after the door is removed the portions of the hinge attached to the door jambare unsightly. Moreover, the attached hinge portions form projections upon which clothing is easily caught and snagged. If these hinge portions are removed from the jamb their imprint and the screw holes are clearly visible. Furthermore, when the hinges are disassembled the various pieces easily become lost and are not readily replaced.

An important object of my invention is to provide a hinge structure that can be readily adapted to either vertical or horizontal doors or panels.

Another object of my invention is to provide a hinge that does not present an unsightly appearance when disassembled and the door or panel removed.

Still another object of my invention is to provide a hinge that has no projecting parts to obstruct passage through the doorway when the door is removed.

Yet another object of my invention is to provide a two-piece hinge, one piece attached to the door and the other piece to the door jamb so that there are no loose elements to become lost when the door is removed.

Other objects and advantages of my invention will be apparent during the course of the following description.

In the drawing forming a part of this specification and wherein like numerals are employed to designate like parts throughout the same,

Fig, 1 is a perspective View showing a conventional door equipped with a hinge embodying my invention,

lE'ig, 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1 but showing structure being broken away,

Fig. 3 is an enlarged transverse sectional view through the hinge and showing the hinge parts in interfitting relation, and

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3 but showing the parts disassembled.

In my Patent No. 2,302,661 issued November 24, 1942, I disclose a two-piece hinge-construction that is particularly adapted for use on articulated horizontal doors or panels such as skylights. However, the structure is such that the hinge pieces sometimes inadvertently become separated if the hinge is used in a vertical position. The instant device is an improvement on my patented structure since it works equally well in either a vertical or horizontal position.

Referring now to the drawing wherein for the purpose of illustration is shown a preferred embodiment of my invention, the numerals H1 and H designate articulated stationary and movable hinge parts, respectively. Both parts l0 and H extend. the full length of the doorway 62 as shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

The stationary part [0 is essentially channel shaped, and is mounted in the doorway with the flat back surface l3 against the door jamb and the sides 14 and [5 extending intothe doorway. Part in is secured in this position in any suitable manner.

The movable part II is integral with or attached to the rear edge of a door A and is provided with an arcuately curved flange l6 which extends into the channel of part I ll with the distal portion of its outer face seating against the arcuate bearing surface, H. A radial rib l8 integral with flange i6 is formed at its free edge with a cylindrical bead l9 which seats in a groove 20 and forms a pivot about which the movable hinge part turns. The groove 26 is located at the center of bearing surface I! and concentric with the arcuate outer face of flange l6 so that the flange I6 is in engagement with and supported by the bearing surface during pivotal movement of part II. The channel opening is unrestricted, as shown in Fig. 4, so that parts It and l I can be easily assembled and disassembled. However, when assembled, part II is retained by a removable strip 2| mounted in the channel behind flange l6. Strip 2| is normally held in place by screws 22 with its arcuate inner surface 23 against the proximal portion of flange I 6. The surface 23 is concentric to groove 20 and on the same radius as surface [1. Thus, surface 23 is on the same locus as surface 11 and in efiect constitutes an extension or projection of bearing surface I1. As best shown in Fig. 3, strip 2| extends only part way across the channel opening so that a narrow vertical slot is provided through which flange I 6 extends.

When the door A is closed, hinge parts It] and l I occupy the solid line position in Fig. 3. When the door is opened, hinge part II pivots about the bead i9. Throughout its swinging movement the door is supported by engagement of flange IS with the bearing surfaces l1 and 23. When in the fully opened position, the hinge parts occupy the dotted line position in Fig.8. The door is fully opened when rib [3 reaches the channel wall or when the beveled surface 24 meets the stationary hinge part l0.

To remove the door the hinge .parts are .disassembled. This is done by removing screws 22 and strip 2|. When the door is moved to the dotted line position of Fig. 4 with the distal portion of flange l6 out of engagement with bearing surface I! the door may be manipulated to lift bead Hi from its seat. The hinge is then shifted to the full line position in Fig. 4 and removed from the channel.

After removal of the door, strip 2| is replaced and secured by screws 22. The only visible evidence of the doors removal is the narrow slot between the edge of strip 21 and the opposite side of the channel. There are no projecting parts to snag clothing or to create an unsightly, half-fin ished appearance. The hinge parts can be expeditionsuly assembled and disassembled. When assembled, the door: is freely movable about bead l9 and is steadily supported in any position.

It is to be understood that the form of the invention herewith shown and described is to be taken as a preferred example of the same and that various changes in the size, shape and arrangement of part may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of my invention or the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A hinge comprising interfl'tting stationary and movable parts; the former having a channel formed with a longitudinal groove and an arcuate face concentric to the groove; the latter provided with a transversely curved flange extending into said channel and positioned so that th distal portion of its outer surface is slidably supported by the arcuate face of the stationary part, and a radial rib extending inwardly from the flange with its free edge seated in the longitudinal groove; and a strip removably attached to the stationary part having an arcuate surface concentric to said groove on the same radius as the channel face and positioned to slidably support the proximal portion of the outer face of the e.

2.'A hinge comprising interfitting stationary and movable parts; the former having a channel formed with a longitudinal groove and an arcuate face concentric to the groove; the latter provided with a transversely curved flange extending into said channel and positioned so that the distal portion of its outer surface is slidably supported by the arcuate face of the stationary part, and a radial rib extending inwardly from the flange having a beaded free edge seated in the longitudinal groove; and a strip removably attached to the stationary part having an arcuate surface concentric to said groove on th same radius as the channel face, the arcuate surface of said strip cooperating with the arcuate face of the stationar part to form a bearing surface for the flange of the movable part.

3. A hinge comprising interfitting stationary and movable parts; the former having a channel formed with a longitudinal groove and an arcuate face extending through an angle of approximately degrees and positioned concentric to the groove; the latter part provided with a transversely curved flange extending into said channel and positioned so that the distal portion of its outer surface is slidably supported by the arcuate face of the stationary part, and a radial rib extending inwardly from the flange with its free edge seated in the longitudinal groove; and a strip removably attached to the stationary part, having an arcuate surface extending through an angle less than 90 degrees and positioned at the outer edge and V on the same locusas the arcuate face of the sta- ERNEST H. BENSON. 

